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Webster 1913 Edition


Mesmerism

Mes′mer-ism

,
Noun.
[From
Mesmer
, who first brought it into notice at Vienna, about 1775: cf. F.
mesmérisme
.]
An earlier name for
hypnosis
or
hypnotism
, the art of inducing an extraordinary or abnormal state of the nervous system, in which the actor claims to control the actions, and communicate directly with the mind, of the recipient. It is believed to be a state between sleep and wakefulness, in which a person is more susceptible to suggestion than when awake. See
Animal magnetism
, under
Magnetism
.

Definition 2024


mesmerism

mesmerism

English

An 1849 portrait of Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815) by Jules Porreau

Noun

mesmerism (countable and uncountable, plural mesmerisms)

  1. The method or power of gaining control over someone's personality or actions, as in hypnosis or suggestion.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

External links

  • mesmerism in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • mesmerism in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911